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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29325687">To Learn How to Walk</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MunTiller/pseuds/MunTiller'>MunTiller</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>In Which We Lived [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hollow Knight (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Future, Blind Character, Gen, Illnesses, Kinda, Major Character Injury, Not Beta Read We Die Like the Pale King, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Partially Blind Broken Vessel | Lost Kin, Past Character Death, Post-Canon Fix-It, Post-Embrace the Void Ending (Hollow Knight), Supernatural Illnesses, The Knight is Called Ghost (Hollow Knight), and learn how to live in a world that tried to kill them, eehhh, kin gets the love they deserve, kin is sick as fuck, major character death refers mostly to flashbacks from kin, who wouldn't after the whole infection ordeal</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 02:14:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,939</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29325687</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MunTiller/pseuds/MunTiller</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Never once did they imagine one day to wake up finally able to move by themselves again.</p><p>But here they are and the world is moving forward. It feels overwhelming, but they aren't the only one learning how to live with their newly acquired freedom.</p><p>A lone huntress, a guilt riddled sacrifice and an angry child. They will wait for them, no need to hurry up.</p><p>The road to recovery will not be pretty, but it will be worth it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Broken Vessel | Lost Kin &amp; The Hollow Knight | Pure Vessel &amp; Hornet &amp; The Knight, The Hollow Knight | Pure Vessel &amp; Hornet &amp; The Knight</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>In Which We Lived [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1897255</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>52</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I wanted to give some context to how Kin came to live after the whole ordeal and honestly, I just wanna write some fluff after this lmao</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The air was freezing, so much so their skin hurt just by being touched by it, enough to make them want to move. Their horns felt heavy, perhaps they were still too weak to get up, but they tried still. They failed, of course, and the energy they had left diminished enough to make them feel like fainting again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hitting their head against the ground, they flinched at the audible splosh right under their left eye, where the sight was blurry. They could feel some kind of wetness under their cheek - gelatinous, slimy - but they couldn't bring themselves to remember how to name a color; they settled with the worst that came to mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Orange. Putrid, rotting orange. They knew it was horrible even though their nose was saturated enough to diminish the smell.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They moved to try and get up, to get away before it could come in again; as it had done when their sibling - </span>
  <em>
    <span>their dear sibling - </span>
  </em>
  <span>came in through the passage somewhere near them. They fought with themselves to get up for what felt like an eternity, but they couldn't move.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Small rhythmic sounds forced them to ground themselves, taps on the ground that sounded like steps, and for a moment their breathing became erratic. They forced themselves to try and look up, but pathetically so their body refused. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They had no time to think or rationalize what could be approaching, no! There was nothing down these tunnels, no living creatures, so it had to be these disgusting little blobs of-</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>'They are coming'</span>
  </em>
  <span> They thought, limbs starting to tremble under the pressure of their own will, wishing they could move away; get on their feet. </span>
  <em>
    <span>'The little bastards- stand up, stand up!'</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>And then suddenly, the steps seemed heavier. They seemed grounded, almost alive - but it was impossible, there were no living bugs or creatures down here, in the abandoned basin, so unbelievably close to the castle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Had one of the little blobs reached them without them noticing? Were they hallucinating?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A figure became visible, although their poor vision lacked the clarity they wished so desperately for. It looked red, pure red like blood; had they died? Were they being visited by some kind of deity devoted to the dead?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their limbs were still shaking and the shaking became much, much worse as they tried to get up, to look up at whatever it was that came to visit them. This body, decaying body in the abandoned tunnels below the palace that nearly no one remembered about.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, a red piece of fabric was tossed over their shoulders and as it fell over them and touched their skin, it felt incredibly warm, welcoming even. They realized in awe that the creature now had a black carapace, and a white mask, it seemed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It looked so much like their siblings out of a sudden.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They wheezed, a burning feeling on their throat suddenly noticeable, and they felt a hand caressing their back. It was calloused, hardened as if experienced, and they looked up as best as they could. Looking perhaps for a face, a name even, of the person who'd had the decency to not leave them to die in this state. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eyes of seemingly endless darkness met their gaze; warm, welcoming. They looked familiar.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without their cape, their savior seemed incredibly young, barely older than the physical form of the vessel themselves, and their clothes showed enough skin to make scars visible. They were nasty, although most looked eerily similar to </span>
  <em>
    <span>hand </span>
  </em>
  <span>markings. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They shivered, shaking more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without so much as a word, they were suddenly helped to their feet - pulled by the remnants of their teared off cape. They stumbled, catching themselves by latching onto the arms of their savior, and for a moment doubt clouded their mind. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Could this be a dream? One so similar to another they had once, where one second felt like an eternity, where they couldn't so much as breathe without feeling their lungs burn. So much time they had lost, indeed, being controlled by an outsider to their body and mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They wondered, and they feared, but before they could try anything other than wheeze for air, they were lifted up and placed on the back of their savior. Strong they were, no doubt, for the vessel was physically already on their teens, perhaps a bit older, and their weight went above of the one of a common bug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they stepped outside of the room they had spent the last agonizing years of their life, they unconsciously hugged their savior, wondering about their identity. The red cloak above their shoulders felt heavy, nearly impossible to bear, although the emotional weight came to lack. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Memories of their past had yet to return; from before they had lost everything, before the whispers came and their hands were no longer theirs. Could this be a dream, too?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their head hit their shoulder, and the vessel couldn't bring themselves to further drown in worries. The skin under their touch was warm, unlike anything they had felt in </span>
  <em>
    <span>years, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and the weight of the red fabric over their shoulders felt different, authentic. Their breathing felt real, as hard as it was to get air into their lungs, and the disgusting feeling of infection on their skin made their stomach turn, unlike many times before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"To the surface, then." Said their savior in a harsh, closed off tone; they felt almost threatened with the statement alone, but they were too tired to even dwell into the feeling. Soft tints of recognition poked them on the back of their mind, but they could not pinpoint the origin; the voice sounded familiar, aged, but familiar.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They felt safe and it worried them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For now, though, just to rest seemed enough. Their savior had no words against their weight being fully rested on their back as they walked down the tunnels; no words against the wheezing sounds of their broken lungs. They carried their weight, be it emotionally or physically, and so the vessel relaxed on their embrace.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they slowly closed their eyes, they fell into a dreamless slumber, to their surprise. They could only hope this to not be a hallucination, although it seemed too realistic to be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Darkness embraced them.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>There was… warmth around them. The air smelled like trees.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It invaded their nose much quicker than the putrid smell of infection had ever done, although their lack of energy made it so they couldn't worry too much about it at first. They were tired, barely able to think, and they could feel their muscles relaxing slowly as time went on.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was hard to move. Their limbs felt as heavy as a boulder.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There were soft sheets under their body – they could feel it touching their hands, and for a second they wished they could close their fingers to grasp it – and a warm blanket embraced them. It felt nice, maybe even a bit overwhelming to their roughed skin, but they had no voice to complain. Not now or ever. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The warmth was welcoming, they had almost forgotten how much they missed it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Their eyes felt heavy, eyelids refusing to open even though they commanded it – they could hardly even grasp the idea of opening them. It almost seemed like something was holding them shut. Breathing steadily, better than they had been for the past few years, they fell into a heavy slumber. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was peaceful, silent.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(How long had it been since they had last felt so calm?)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They woke up some seconds later, to their knowledge at least. Darkness seemed to be hardly there this time, although their eyes remained closed.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a foul taste in their mouth, it felt uneasy to swallow and breathing through their nose made it worse. If they stopped to truly breathe, however, it suddenly didn't have a taste, the freshness of the air overruling its influence. They sighed deeply, almost accidentally, and for a moment their eyes opened just a little bit. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The strong morning light made them regret it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(Shouldn’t it have burned them?)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As they recoiled, they could see the light behind their eyelids and for a moment they wanted to panic. It didn't look orange though, hardly had any color, and they fought with themselves to wiggle their fingers just a little bit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Something shuffled by their side, something big, and the light was gone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(The kindness felt strange, but they decided not to delve on it.)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They woke again later, barely remembering having blacked out at all. This time their back felt sore, making them uncomfortable, and so they shifted just a bit to make it better. As they did so, something shuffled on their feet this time, and some kind of weight was lifted from the mattress. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Small steps could be heard approaching the bed, almost muted, nearly no noise in them. They seemed light, like the ones of a grub, and for a moment they paid attention to their surroundings to try and track the noises.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Soon, a ghost-like touch brushed over their forehead.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(It was faint, but it was there. They weren't hallucinating, they were sure.)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For a second they wished they had flinched, as a sign that their reflexes were still in their original – although highly weakened – state, but they didn't. They merely heard the steps starting to go away, as faint as they were, without being able to properly move.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In curiosity, they opened their eyes a little bit, just in time to see a figure heading to the door and leaving. It was tiny and, in the dimly lit room, barely noticeable. With their features seeming to translate poorly through their blurred vision, they almost looked like a shadowy child, little white horns on top of their head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They stayed awake for some time after that, shifting on the mattress and waiting for something to happen. Nothing did.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(What were they waiting for?)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sleep felt incredibly uneasy after that, they couldn't bring themselves to rest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next time they woke up, they felt hot, too hot. It was nearly unbearable. They shifted from side to side under the blanket, trying to throw it off, but they were too weak for that. Soon enough they realized they were coughing. Hard.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They tried to sit up nearly as soon as it started, alarmed at how loud it sounded in such a quiet room – a room they wished they had time to explore, but their body still felt so incredibly </span>
  <em>
    <span>weak</span>
  </em>
  <span> –, but it didn’t stop no matter how hard they tried to breathe. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They could feel the fresh air. It felt wrong.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It felt…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(Breathing had always been trouble for them, even before everything when the void covered air burned their lungs.)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But it didn’t hurt.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(Did it change? When had it changed?)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Their lungs lacked air, but still felt well, whole. When had it– why wasn't it–</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Perhaps, had they not been stunned by the realization, they would have noticed the door opening as a figure roughly their size came running in. They would have perhaps realized how familiar the face looked, perhaps even </span>
  <em>
    <span>remembered, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but they didn’t.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were struggling to breathe, as they always did, although this time it didn’t hurt them, it didn’t make them feel like drowning in their own fluids, disgustingly so. Their mind was spinning with questions upon questions, and as they eventually regained the ability to properly bring air into their lungs, their eyes drifted shut.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A muffled voice rang through their ears, almost alarmed, and they passed out soon after. Embraced again by the blankets as they felt hot and sweaty, they somehow felt so far from what they once called home, yet so incredibly close to it at the same time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It felt strange.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That day the blankets were switched a lot faster than one would have expected; a much lighter and thinner one was chosen instead. In hindsight, the quickness of the response seemed hilarious, but for now they knew of nothing but darkness and strange, faceless bits of kindness. It hit home, they almost teared up at it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(Back when kindness was given out to them in generous bits and they retributed in similar fashion.)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Their heart ached in their chest. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In their quiet yet not so peaceful slumber, they remembered the old times with bitter fondness for the simplicity of their pathetic abandoned lives. From when they had no need to worry about a future outside of the bounds of the abyss and, instead, worry about finding a way out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When their biggest worry was the stillness, as they called it in their simple child lingo. When they piece by piece ran out of places to bury one another and instead decided to start throwing bodies into the lake; it consumed everything, nothing ever came back from it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(Yet one of them did, once. They never talked about it. The matter died with the youngest of the survivors.)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The vessel, quietly so, found themselves reminiscing of simpler times with no infection.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Back when their bonds meant everything to one another, as their bodies started to shut down one by one in a nearly organized chaos. From the oldest to the youngest, their numbers diminished until only them and three more remained.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They wanted to cry but they couldn't bring themselves to do so. It felt wrong.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It felt so incredibly wrong.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(It always felt wrong, especially when they were the strongest.)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(They were still the strongest.)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Faces of their siblings popped up into their mind, smiling brightly in false memories they had grown attached to over the years. They didn't feel imposed over their wishes, forced upon their will, and so they let themselves indulge in false memories of a peaceful life for a second or two.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(Would they ever be able to see them again?)</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They hoped so, they still even remembered the faces of some of their closest in bond. From the little ones who never grew past their knees, to the bigger ones who towered over them; their eyes became engraved into their mind. The time they spent crying on each other's arms, hugging as one by one the stillness reached them finally; it felt painful to remember, but warm at the same time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A tired sigh left their lips and they opened their eyes a bit, having perhaps heard a voice – or maybe it was the wind? Their vision had cleared up a bit, they could see clearer, but one of the sides was still blurry and nearly impossible to see with. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Still, through their slightly blurry vision, they saw the door open and a figure walk in. Tall horns over their head, hunched over a bit as they stepped in before noticing they were awake. Without any capes to hide this visitor's body, the missing arm on one of their sides was obvious.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They looked strangely familiar. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"The fever seems to be mostly gone." Hornet pulled back her hand from the vessel's forehead, watching as Ghost hugged them tighter around the neck. They didn't seem to mind it, so she let them be, although she was ready to rip them off at any moment. "You should be feeling better in about a week."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The bedridden vessel merely sighed, chest rising to its limits as Ghost chuckled silently. There was a certain mischievous glint in their eyes, but no one in the room seemed to be in the mood to point it out; if they wanted to do something, they'd have to wait until the vessel was feeling better, they knew it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Something told Hornet they were already plotting a new trick.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The vessel's eyes, amidst the calmness of the room, turned to the window hidden away by the curtains. Almost wistful, they seemed to be lost in their own head, thinking about things Hornet didn't really find herself in a position to ask about. She restrained her curiosity and decided to keep her mouth shut.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She could always ask later. They didn't seem to need anyone poking around in their head for now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a sigh, Hornet remembered the medicine they needed to take still, as it would help their body recover from perhaps years of constant abuse. She got up to her feet, going to fetch the lifeblood mixture they had been working with for a while. She wondered how well they were doing so far, but being far from a doctor she could only guess and she guessed optimistically, quite contrary to the stance she would normally take.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>...She hoped they were feeling well. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As she focused on that, a wheeze left the vessel's mouth. She felt as if she should be worried, as her instincts always told her to be, but she shook her head as a small smile reached her lips, nearly unnoticeable.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ghost must have been squishing them again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She picked up two half-full cups from the bed stand and – after sparing a glance at the small sugar sticks on the side Hallow had separated just in case – she mixed them into one cup, creating some sort of lifeblood milk. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It looked strange, she had to admit, with the blue color of the seeds swirling around in the foam yet to be properly mixed, but she was sure it tasted decently at least. Courtesy of Hallow, really, as they had been the one to find the recipe in the old books around the capital's library – they had, also, subsequently decided to add sugar to it, which made it less horrible.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I need you to drink all of what is in this cup." She said turning around, only to quietly watch as the vessel sat up slightly, pushing Ghost away. They were both laughing between themselves, pushing each other around and Hornet, perhaps too scared to put an end to it, let them be for some seconds.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In a way, she was… relieved. She couldn't personally describe it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She felt like she was about to smile, but instinct held it back. Instead, she sighed as she always did, tapping her fingers against the cup. She walked over to the bed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Sibling." The vessel looked up as she sat down, eyes somehow communicating a sense of security from their part she wasn't expecting, some kind of calm energy. They were very expressive, she realized, exactly like Ghost had been from the very start and, for a brief moment, she wondered why. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Perhaps, different from Hallow, they had never been forced to conceal their emotions and opinions of the world around them, although maybe her judgment was wrong. Maybe they learned it later, like Ghost had. Maybe it was just her impression.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In a way, the vessel looked strangely familiar to her, as if they had met before. She couldn't pinpoint it, memory as hazy as it had always been during the days of the infection.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She wanted to remember, but couldn't. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shaking these thoughts away, Hornet gave them the cup, pushing Ghost before they could reach for it. The little grub, showing clear signs of annoyance, waited no further and jumped at her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It seemed they were way too eager to take a medicine that wasn't for them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As the vessel dawned the lifeblood milk in one go, perhaps enjoying the sweet taste of it, Hornet struggled to get her little sibling off her back. She tried grabbing them with her claws, but had little to no success, then tried angling her body in a way that they'd fall, but they didn't.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Annoying.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Ack, get off." She shook her body from side to side, hoping that Ghost would lose their grip. They didn't, shaking their own body instead in a taunting way. She growled slightly, shaking herself more and she could feel the silent laughter against her back. They weren't letting go so soon.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Damn those strong little claws.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A small smile reached her lips. "Ugh, fine." She said, faking annoyance as she often did with them, and their smile grew bigger.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She got up to her feet, shaking herself like a mosscreep that had just woken up in its leafy nest. It seemed comical, in a way, and Ghost laughed as their grip tightened. Hornet did it again, and again. She kept it up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The vessel watched as the two eventually came to wrestle in the middle of the room, making a mess they would both have to clean later, but they didn't seem to mind it. They noticed the small, nearly invisible smile on their sister's lips and in a way they felt as if it was special, but they couldn't figure out why. Maybe they would know one day.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They looked down at their cup, small remnants of the seeds at the bottom giving it a small bluish glow. Maybe it would be fluorescent during the night, but who knew?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They… could find out later. Later that same day, maybe even the next.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They shook their head, nearly smiling by themselves. Why did it feel like such a strange thing to imagine? A "later"? Perhaps they had gotten too used to expecting death at every corner.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Would that change now? Had they been fully freed?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In a way, they were still waiting for the moment they would wake up back into that room, covered in their own blood and infection, the sweet smell of it mixed in with that of their blood – a nauseating combination that filled their nose. They were still expecting the metallic taste to come back to their mouth, maybe the lack of water to drink as it grew drier, as they felt like their tongue was about to fall.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But… it never came. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Instead they came to appreciate the smell of trees, such a thing they had never seen before. Hornet told them she had never either, at least nothing exactly like it, and it somehow made it feel more special. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They came to enjoy the taste of fruit, as much as the lifeblood seeds came to dull their senses of taste for a while. They perhaps had grown fond of the sweet taste, something their biggest sibling had caught on quite quickly, and for that they were thankful.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Everything was… good. It didn't seem like a lie, for some reason. Had they fallen even further into their own imagination and crafted themselves a family?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was something to ponder about, yet they somehow felt like it was unnecessary. They felt safe, the warm touches of their siblings felt real, as did the sheets under their body and the clothes that hugged their skin. It all seemed so authentic it sounded ridiculous to doubt it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yet the feeling was still there, at the bottom of their heart.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They decided to ignore it, for now. There was no need to discuss it, if everything was nice then they could keep living a lie, if this was even one. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They didn't want to ruin this beautiful life that had been so kindly granted to them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The vessel smiled rather weakly, perhaps getting used to the idea.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yeah, it didn't seem so bad. If it was real then it was real, if not then perhaps the infection had finally taken pity on them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Whichever it was, it made no difference. Living a lie or not, they felt safe. If they felt safe then they would do everything in their power to remain that way, even if it meant throwing themselves into danger again as they did in the abyss, just to save their family. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a warm feeling blooming into their chest. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It felt… nice. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>(It felt very nice.)</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>School is fucking me up, so I apologize for the delay in this chapter :( I will try to write a bit more for the next one, since I ended up getting stuck in the middle of this chapter which led to about two weeks of procrastination. I can't guarantee the next will come any faster, but hey I'll try '^^)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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